Mixed feelings for Baldwin following draw

Lee Baldwin had mixed emotions after Wick Football Club sealed a 2-2 home Southern Combination League Premier Division draw with Horsham YMCA on Saturda

A brace of strikes from the returning Joe Gromett inside the opening hour gave Wick a two-goal cushion.

However, the home side weren’t able to press home the advantage and efforts from Sam Schaaf and Guy Harding in the final 30 minutes ensured the points were shared.

After the final whistle, Baldwin admitted to having mixed feelings and said: “Before the game I’d have taken a draw but considering how well we played and the two-goal lead we had, it feels like two points dropped.

“We’re playing really well at the minute but just not getting the results our performances deserve at present.

“It’s a really good bunch of players I’ve got here and we’ll keep doing what we’re doing, it’s just a matter of time before things turn around.”

Wick got off to a flying start with Gromett somehow heading wide from three yards five minutes prior to the interval.

The opener finally came a minute before the break with Gromett making up for his earlier miss as Rob Hutchings’ teasing cross was rifled home by the forward.

It got better for the home side on the hour as Gromett prodded home Kieron Playle-Howard’s effort with Wick opening up a two-goal lead.

Horsham’s response was almost immediate as Schaaf pulled one back a minute later to ensure a nervy final 30 minutes for Baldwin’s side.

Having weathered a deluge of pressure, Wick’s defence was breached for a second time six minutes from the end as Harding levelled.

Baldwin felt the return of Gromett was a major boost in the fixture.

He added: “Joe was back for us on Saturday and he made a massive difference.

“His movement, physical edge were a massive boost for us and he was a menace for the 90 minutes.

“We’ve had Rob Brown playing up top in recent games but Joe is a natural striker and he did a really good job for us against Horsham. He’s a handful for defenders and hopefully he’ll continue getting goals for us.”